The final tournament of the 2014 Otago Chess Club calendar was the Richard Sutton Trophy. The competition was close, with no player going through without conceding at least one upset result. The key round that decided the final placings was the fourth. Three players shared the lead: Top seed John Sutherland, Terry Duffield and the writer on 2½. Duffield lost to Hamish Gold, while Sutherland repeated a dangerous opening choice and went down to the writer, leaving the latter in the sole lead. This order was maintained to the end.
First place with a final score of 5½/6 went to the writer, a point ahead of Sutherland and Duffield sharing second place.
Today's game is from the fifth round of the Richard Sutton Trophy. Geoff Aimers has Black against the writer.
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.c4
Transposing into a Symmetrical English Opening, with relatively easy development for both sides. 3... cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qb6 6.e3 g6 7.b3 Bg7 8.Bb2 O-O 9.Be2 d6 10.O-O Bd7 11.Qd2 Ne5
This move suddenly presents White with two options to gain the initiative. Now that there is no threat to exchange on d4, White can play Nd5 at some point establishing a pawn on d5 after the exchange of knights. The other is the advance of the f-pawn kicking the black knight with possible kingside play. The simple 11... Rac8 developing the rooks was better with an equal position. 12.h3 h5?!
Aimed against a possible kingside pawn storm, but the cure is worse that the imagined disease, weakening the Black kingside. Best was to withdraw the previous knight move. 13.Rad1 Rfd8
Two imprecise moves. White should have played the immediate 13. Nd5! and Black should have taken his last chance to retreat the knight 13... Nc6. White doesn't miss his second chance. 14.Nd5! Nxd5 15.cxd5 Be8
Making a square for the knight on d7, which is short of moves with f4 coming. Slightly better was 15... f5 leaving the bishop to defend e6. After 16.f4 Nf7 the knight is a useful defender of the weak dark squares on the kingside and the f-file remains closed. 16.Kh1 a5
Prophylaxis in case White played 17 Bc3 threatening a nasty skewer on a5 and perhaps looking to generate play down the a-file. But the immediate danger is on the other side of the board, and Black might have retreated 16... Nd7, effectively a move up on the game continuation. 17.f4 Nd7 18.f5! Nf6!?
A better square is 18... Nc5! helping to defend the hole on e6 after 19.fxg6 fxg6 20.Bf3 Bf7 and the a-pawn prevents White from ejecting the knight by advancing 21.b4. But the move played has some merit in threatening d5, e4 and defending h5. 19.Bf3?!
White wants an easy life, so prefers not to entertain the complications after 19.fxg6! Ne4! (19... fxg6? 20.Ne6 Rdc8 21.Bd4 Qb4 22.Qb2 and Black's f6 square is going up in flames.) 20.gxf7+ Bxf7 21.Qe1 and White is winning but has to think. E.g. 21... Be5 22.Nf5! Ng3+ (22... Bxb2 23.Nh6+ Kg7 24.Rxf7+! Kxh6 25.Qh4 mating) 23.Nxg3 Bxb2 24.Bxh5 Rf8 25.Qe2 with a winning attack. 19... Bd7?!
During the game both sides thought the attempt to close the f-file 19... g5! was too weakening, but it was Black's best chance: 20.e4! (20.Ne2 h4 21.e4 Nh7 and Black is defending.) 20... g4 21.hxg4 hxg4 22.Qg5! a4! (22... gxf3? 23.gxf3 Nh7 24.Qg2 Nf6 25.Rg1 Nh5 26.Ne6! fxe6 27.Bxg7 Nf4 28.Qh2 and Black will lose his queen.) 23.Ne2 axb3 24.axb3 Qxb3 25.Bxf6 exf6 26.Qxg4 Qc2 27.Nf4 Kf8 and Black is still fighting. 20.fxg6 fxg6 21.Qd3!
Targeting g6. Black has too few defenders on the kingside. 22...Kh7 22.Be4! Nxe4
Or 22... Be8 23.Ne6! Nxe4 24.Bxg7 Ng3+ 25.Kh2 Nxf1+ 26.Rxf1 Qb4 27.Bd4 and Black will be mated shortly. 23.Qxe4 Bf6?
After this White is able to blast through the defences and force mate. The only chance was 23... Be8 when White can grab a pawn by 24.Qxe7 Rd7 25.Qe4 with an ongoing attack, but better is 24.Rd2! defending b2 and the threat of 25.Ne6 forces 24... e5 25.dxe6 with an extra passed pawn and a winning position. 24.Rxf6! exf6 25.Qe7+ Kh6
Or 25... Kg8 (25... Kh8 26.Ne6 Bxe6 27.Bxf6+ Kg8 28.Qg7#) 26.Ne6 Bxe6 27.Qxe6+ Kh7 28.Qf7+ Kh6 29.Bxf6 Rg8 30.Bg5+! Kxg5 31.Qf4 mate. The text brings up the position in today's diagram, where White missed the quickest mate in a maximum of four moves, but the move played was good enough. 26.Ne6 Bxe6 27.Bxf6! Resigns
There is no defence to the dual threat of mate on g5 and g7: 27... Bf7 (27.... h4 28.Qg7+ Kh6 29.Qh7 mate) 28.Qxf7 Rg8 29.Bg5+! Kxg5 30.Qf4 mate.
Otago club season ends
Problem: White to play and mate in 4.
The final tournament of the 2014 Otago Chess Club calendar was the Richard Sutton Trophy. The competition was close, with no player going through without conceding at least one upset result. The key round that decided the final placings was the fourth. Three players shared the lead: Top seed John Sutherland, Terry Duffield and the writer on 2½. Duffield lost to Hamish Gold, while Sutherland repeated a dangerous opening choice and went down to the writer, leaving the latter in the sole lead. This order was maintained to the end.
First place with a final score of 5½/6 went to the writer, a point ahead of Sutherland and Duffield sharing second place.
Today's game is from the fifth round of the Richard Sutton Trophy. Geoff Aimers has Black against the writer.
1.d4 Nf6
2.Nf3 c5
3.c4
Transposing into a Symmetrical English Opening, with relatively easy development for both sides.
3... cxd4
4.Nxd4 Nc6
5.Nc3 Qb6
6.e3 g6
7.b3 Bg7
8.Bb2 O-O
9.Be2 d6
10.O-O Bd7
11.Qd2 Ne5
This move suddenly presents White with two options to gain the initiative. Now that there is no threat to exchange on d4, White can play Nd5 at some point establishing a pawn on d5 after the exchange of knights. The other is the advance of the f-pawn kicking the black knight with possible kingside play. The simple 11... Rac8 developing the rooks was better with an equal position.
12.h3 h5?!
Aimed against a possible kingside pawn storm, but the cure is worse that the imagined disease, weakening the Black kingside. Best was to withdraw the previous knight move.
13.Rad1 Rfd8
Two imprecise moves. White should have played the immediate 13. Nd5! and Black should have taken his last chance to retreat the knight 13... Nc6. White doesn't miss his second chance.
14.Nd5! Nxd5
15.cxd5 Be8
Making a square for the knight on d7, which is short of moves with f4 coming. Slightly better was 15... f5 leaving the bishop to defend e6. After 16.f4 Nf7 the knight is a useful defender of the weak dark squares on the kingside and the f-file remains closed.
16.Kh1 a5
Prophylaxis in case White played 17 Bc3 threatening a nasty skewer on a5 and perhaps looking to generate play down the a-file. But the immediate danger is on the other side of the board, and Black might have retreated 16... Nd7, effectively a move up on the game continuation.
17.f4 Nd7
18.f5! Nf6!?
A better square is 18... Nc5! helping to defend the hole on e6 after 19.fxg6 fxg6 20.Bf3 Bf7 and the a-pawn prevents White from ejecting the knight by advancing 21.b4. But the move played has some merit in threatening d5, e4 and defending h5.
19.Bf3?!
White wants an easy life, so prefers not to entertain the complications after 19.fxg6! Ne4! (19... fxg6? 20.Ne6 Rdc8 21.Bd4 Qb4 22.Qb2 and Black's f6 square is going up in flames.) 20.gxf7+ Bxf7 21.Qe1 and White is winning but has to think. E.g. 21... Be5 22.Nf5! Ng3+ (22... Bxb2 23.Nh6+ Kg7 24.Rxf7+! Kxh6 25.Qh4 mating) 23.Nxg3 Bxb2 24.Bxh5 Rf8 25.Qe2 with a winning attack.
19... Bd7?!
During the game both sides thought the attempt to close the f-file 19... g5! was too weakening, but it was Black's best chance: 20.e4! (20.Ne2 h4 21.e4 Nh7 and Black is defending.) 20... g4 21.hxg4 hxg4 22.Qg5! a4! (22... gxf3? 23.gxf3 Nh7 24.Qg2 Nf6 25.Rg1 Nh5 26.Ne6! fxe6 27.Bxg7 Nf4 28.Qh2 and Black will lose his queen.) 23.Ne2 axb3 24.axb3 Qxb3 25.Bxf6 exf6 26.Qxg4 Qc2 27.Nf4 Kf8 and Black is still fighting.
20.fxg6 fxg6
21.Qd3!
Targeting g6. Black has too few defenders on the kingside.
22...Kh7
22.Be4! Nxe4
Or 22... Be8 23.Ne6! Nxe4 24.Bxg7 Ng3+ 25.Kh2 Nxf1+ 26.Rxf1 Qb4 27.Bd4 and Black will be mated shortly.
23.Qxe4 Bf6?
After this White is able to blast through the defences and force mate. The only chance was 23... Be8 when White can grab a pawn by 24.Qxe7 Rd7 25.Qe4 with an ongoing attack, but better is 24.Rd2! defending b2 and the threat of 25.Ne6 forces 24... e5 25.dxe6 with an extra passed pawn and a winning position.
24.Rxf6! exf6
25.Qe7+ Kh6
Or 25... Kg8 (25... Kh8 26.Ne6 Bxe6 27.Bxf6+ Kg8 28.Qg7#) 26.Ne6 Bxe6 27.Qxe6+ Kh7 28.Qf7+ Kh6 29.Bxf6 Rg8 30.Bg5+! Kxg5 31.Qf4 mate. The text brings up the position in today's diagram, where White missed the quickest mate in a maximum of four moves, but the move played was good enough.
26.Ne6 Bxe6
27.Bxf6! Resigns
There is no defence to the dual threat of mate on g5 and g7: 27... Bf7 (27.... h4 28.Qg7+ Kh6 29.Qh7 mate) 28.Qxf7 Rg8 29.Bg5+! Kxg5 30.Qf4 mate.
1-0
Solution: 1. Nf5+! Bxf5 (1... Kg5 2. Qxf6#; 1... gxf5 2.Qxf6+ Kh7 3.Qg7#) 2. Bxf6 h4 (2... Rg8 or Rd7 3.Bg5#; 2... Qxe3 or g5 3.Qg7#) 3. Qg7+ Kh5 4. Qh7#.